Pantry basics?

[jd_1138]

I try to keep the following in the pantry.

starches
egg noodles
spaghetti pasta
penne pasta
House of Autry breading for chicken, pork
potatos

soups/sauces
chicken noodle
vegetable beef
tomato
pasta sauce
Sloppy Jane sauce (Manwich Bold)

canned veggies
mixed veggies, peas, corn, green beans

refried beans
tortillas

[jd_1138]

With some thawed out hamburg, it's easy to throw together something like spaghetti and meatballs, Swedish meatballs with egg noodles, etc.. Or with chicken, pound it flat, bread it, salt/pepper, fry in the cast iron in some EVOO and then top it with cheese and pasta sauce and toss in the oven. Serve with penne pasta. Chicken parm in one skillet -- and in an easy to clean cast iron (just wipe it out). The better half loves chicken parm so I make that a lot.

Last night I rubbed some olive oil and salt/pepper on some potatoes and poked holes in them, wrapped in foil and tossed them on the charcoal grill an hour before I put the burgers on. Burgers were just some olive oil, salt, pepper, grated cheddar cheese mixed in with the hamburg. I did something different and popped the buns on top of the burgers about 10 minutes before I pulled them off. That way the buns were sort of steamed/warmed -- sort of White Castle style. Tastes better than grilling them on the grille, and no worries about burning them.

[blissful]

Peanut butter.
Olive oil.
Coconut oil.
Peanut oil.
Vegetable oil.
Herbs and spices.

[skilletlicker]

I've got stuff I'm not too proud of, mostly impulse purchases, but this is some of what I try not to run out of from the center of the store.

Canned

• Tomatoes
• Chicken broth
• Beef Broth
• Mayonnaise
• Sardines
• Tuna
• Chicken
• Olives
• Peanut butter
• Fruit jam

Oils

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Peanut Oil
• "Wesson"

Vinegars

• Red wine vinegar
• White wine vinegar
• Balsamic
• Apple cider
• Distilled white vinegar

Pasta & Noodles, mostly Whole Wheat

• Elbow macaroni
• Spaghetti
• Linguine
• Rotini
• Penne
• Broad egg noodles

Dry Goods and Other Stuff

• Various dried beans
• Dried tomatoes
• Dried blueberries
• White whole wheat flour
• AP flour
• Course grind yellow corn for grits
• Cornmeal
• Sugar, white
• Brown sugar
• Long grain brown rice
• Basmati rice
• Dried milk
• Instant yeast
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Coffee
• Cocoa Powder

Condiments

• Dijon mustard
• Whole grain brown mustard
• Yellow mustard
• Ketchup
• El Tapatio hot sauce
• Sriracha hot sauce
• Sweet relish
• Pickled jalapenos
• Dill pickles
• Pickled gherkins

[CraigC]

Way too many things to list.

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by CraigC

Way too many things to list.

Same here. Three kinds of rice, a dozen Asian condiments and about 15 kinds of vinegar, for starters

[Aunt Bea]

Canola oil
Olive Oil
Apple cider vinegar
White vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Dried beans, peas and barley
Splenda
Low carb baking flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
A dusty box of assorted food coloring
Cornstarch
Wondra flour
Saltine crackers
Dried mushrooms
GOYA beef, ham and chicken bouillon
Durkee's hot sauce
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
An assortment of dried herbs, spices and extracts
Iodized salt
Morton curing salt
Dreamfields macaroni
Sugar free Jello
Smucker's natural peanut butter
Assorted nuts
Assorted salad dressings and condiments
Mt Olive sugar free pickles
Ripe olives
Stuffed olives
Sardines
An assortment of canned tomato products
Canned green beans
Canned mushrooms
Canned green chili peppers
Canned pimentos
Canned anchovies
Canned tuna
Canned clams
Assorted teabags
Ground roast coffee
Sugar free ginger ale
An assortment of booze

I keep trying to reduce the length of this list!

It amazes me how the oldtimers got by with salt, flour and coffee!

[Cooking Goddess]

I live in the house neighbors know to call upon if they need an ingredient and don't have time/energy to run to the store...

Himself converted our back hall coat closet to a pantry. That holds the "grocery department" items I need frequently - oils, vinegars, some of my spice blends, dry baking items. And the necessary two boxes of wine - one red, one white.

Go down our basement steps and you'll find my personal convenience store: inventory stuff that I need regularly but not daily. It's mostly contained to a 5' by 18" by 6 foot tall metal shelving unit. As an endcap at one side is a baker's shelf with (you guessed it) baking supplies. Then there is another metal storage shelf, only 4' by 1' by 4 foot high that holds our beverages: pop, beer, coffee, assorted teas. Some fruit juices line up along the basement ledge, and the wine rack is on top of a metal bookshelf only 3' by 9" by 3 feet high.

One of my "must haves" that hasn't been listed is a jar or more of sauerkraut. You never know when you might need sauerkraut.

[Dawgluver]

Gotta have the kraut.

I have two cabinets dedicated to spices and blends. One in the cupboard, one I built that's free-standing. Plus my daily use stuff that sits out on the counter.

I built a floor to ceiling shelf unit that resides in the laundry room, and houses a bunch of dry goods and extra juices.

[Domestic Goddess]

Originally Posted by Dawgluver

Gotta have the kraut.

I have two cabinets dedicated to spices and blends. One in the cupboard, one I built that's free-standing. Plus my daily use stuff that sits out on the counter.

I built a floor to ceiling shelf unit that resides in the laundry room, and houses a bunch of dry goods and extra juices.

Dawgluver, you must be a kraut lover like me! If it weren't for my daughter, I wouldn't have jars of home-canned sauerkraut in my panty. Thank heavens she's a canner! And shares her kraut with us, as that stuff in the store, just cannot compare to the home-canned kraut made the old fashion way.

I've seem to of become a pat-rack with pantry stables, and never can pass up a good buy. I have a pantry in my kitchen, one next to my dining room, and now my oldest daughter's bedroom is where I also store many of my pantry items.

Next to my fridge, and next to my stove, I have shelves which I store all my dried herbs and spices, boxed gelatins, boxed puddings, assorted teas and dry coffee creamers.

When all my daughters moved out, I made sure the first gift they received for Christmas was, a box filled with all sorts of the dried spices and dried herbs, which I knew they could use, and I know they'd never buy for themselves. You can fill your pantry with plenty of boxed items, canned goods and assorted noodles, etc... but if you don't have these items in your pantry, you can't always complete your meal. I think it's a good idea to have plenty of dried herbs and spices stocked in your pantry.